Greetings from Qatar!

Greetings!

Well, I just finished a 4 day pass to Qatar (pronounced cutter). Qatar is a small country situated on a peninsula half-way along the west coast of the Arabian Gulf, between Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.

One of the perks of Qatar.....REAL beer is authorized on base (below)!

I spent my pass relaxing, sleeping in, and going on tours into the main city in Qatar, Doha.

One of the cooler tours we took was the cultural tour.

The tour took us to several locations around Doha, including a racing camel ranch (above), and the old souk (below). Souks are marketplaces found throughout the middle east. The advantage to souks is that the shopkeepers are always willing to negotiate their prices, making it a hot spot for bargain shoppers. We also visited a large gold souk. No, I did not buy any gold...sorry honey!

Besides visiting souks and a large mall to satisfy our shopping needs, the tour also took us to several tourist attractions.

One of the main attractions was the large clam statue (above). Pearls are a big industry for Qatar, as the statue would suggest! We also visited a nice restaurant for lunch, and toured several other sites during the day long tour.

I spent my birthday on a dhow cruise. We anchored the dhow about a mile from the Qatar coast, 500 yards from a sand bar (above......don't ask how I took this picture, Holly would kill me if she knew I swam out from the dhow holding the camera over my head............DARN!! I've said too much!) . Once there, we swam, ate dinner, socialized, and took in the sunset. As a sailor, it was nice to get out on the water again! I must admit, despite not having my sweetie there to enjoy the view with, I had a good time.

So, there is the last four days in a nut shell! I hope you enjoy the pictures, I'll try to post more later!

'Till next time,

Zimm